‘Ek Main Aur… ‘ puts spotlight on Las Vegas

New Delhi, Dec 31 (IANS) Gambling, partying and letting their hair down - Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan will be seen doing all that in “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu”, one of the few films that has Las Vegas as its backdrop.

Director Shakun Batra says the place has such defined character that it is difficult for the filmmakers to accommodate it in any or every movie like other foreign locales.

“One of the main reasons for films not to be shot in Las Vegas is that the character of the place is very defined and we need to show it as Las Vegas. It can’t be shown as any other city. Since most films are not set there, it gets difficult. In case of “Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu” our film is set in Las Vegas and Mumbai,” Batra told IANS.

“To shoot ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’ was a bit difficult as we were shooting in the middle of Christmas and New Year to catch the festivities of the place. Otherwise, it is like shooting in any other foreign location,” added the director who spent 30 days there to shoot the film.

The Alps in Switzerland, beaches in New Zealand and Australia or the hustle bustle of cities like London, New York, Los Angeles, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, have become a staple in Bollywood films as it jazzes up the look and feel of the movie, but filmmakers have stayed away from Las Vegas so far.

In last 14 years a few films were shot in the entertainment capital of the world — “Pardes” (1997), “Jeans” 1998 and 2010 releases “Kites” and “Anjaana Anjaani”.

Though filmmakers stay away from shooting movies in the Las Vegas for obvious reasons, but tourists are thronging the place.

Located in the Nevada state in the US, the place, also known as “sin city” for its relaxed laws on gaming and prostitution, reportedly receives about 40 million visitors every year.

Now Imran wants to backpack and holiday in Las Vegas with friends.

“Every year Imran Khan and his buddies take off to back packing trip for a week or so. This year he is very keen all his friends and he should visit Las Vegas,” said a source close to the actor.

“Imran fell in love with Las Vegas while shooting there for ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’ last year. Kareena Kapoor and he had a blast while shooting. The place is anyways very peppy and full of life, however, Christmas and New Year it turns special. Imran Khan tried to learn gambling, watched plays and magic shows to enjoy the festivity the unit had a blast,” the source added.

The travel package for Las Vegas costs between Rs.1,50,000 to Rs.200,000 and one gets to see other cities too.

“These locations where films are shot are very expensive. Young people and young families are more inclined towards such trips. They call for queries and ask us to include the specific locations in their package, but after working out the complete package it turns out a little expensive — so at times they drop it down considering their budget,” said Nupur Goswami, sr. consultant of outbound tour at Prime Travels.

“A trip to Las Vegas alone does not really happen often because it is included in package with other places. But if somebody wants to, then the package would roughly be around Rs.1,50,000,” she added.

Neeraj Dev, head of Outbound Vertical at Yatra Online Pvt Ltd, said: “People don’t visit Las Vegas alone, the package includes New York, Washington and Las Vegas. They spend about two-three nights in Vegas. It is a 15 days package, which comes around to Rs.200,000.”